Swap a DVD: Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (PG)

MPAA Rating: PG
Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Questionable for Children
Movie Release: 1988
DVD Release: 09/28/1999
Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
Audio Tracks: English, French
Subtitles: English
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Number of Discs: 1
Run Time: 1 hrs 44 mins
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Members Wishing: 42
Genres: Comedy, Parody/Spoof, Fantasy Comedy

In Robert Zemeckis's trailblazing combination of animation and live-action, Hollywood's 1940s cartoon stars are a subjugated minority, living in the ghettolike "Toontown" where their movements are sharply monitored by the human power establishment. The Toons are permitted to perform in a Cotton Club-style nightspot but are forbidden to patronize the joint. One of Toontown's leading citizens, whacked-out Roger Rabbit, is framed for the murder of human nightclub owner Marvin Acme (Stubby Kaye). Private detective Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins), whose prejudice against Toons stems from the time that his brother was killed by a falling cartoon piano, reluctantly agrees to clear Roger of the accusation. Most of the sociopolitical undertones of the original novel were weeded out out of the 1988 film version, with emphasis shifted to its basic "evil land developer" plotline --and, more enjoyably, to a stream of eye-popping special effects. With the combined facilities of animator Richard Williams, Disney, Warner Bros., Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, and George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic, the film allows us to believe (at least for 90 minutes) that "toons" exist, and that they are capable of interacting with 3-dimensional human beings. Virtually every major cartoon character of the late 1940s shows up, with the exceptions of Felix the Cat and Popeye the Sailor, whose licensees couldn't come to terms with the producers. Of the film's newly minted Toons, the most memorable is Roger Rabbit's curvaceous bride Jessica (voiced, uncredited, by Kathleen Turner). The human element is well-represented by Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, and Joanna Cassidy; also watch for action-film producer Joel Silver as Roger Rabbit's Tex Avery-style director. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bob Hoskins - Eddie Valiant
Christopher Lloyd - Judge Doom
Joanna Cassidy - Dolores
Charles Fleischer - Greasy
Charles Fleischer - Roger Rabbit
Stubby Kaye - Marvin Acme
Alan Tilvern - R.K. Maroon

1988	Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Com (nominee)	Golden Globe	Bob Hoskins
1988	Best Director (nominee)	Directors Guild of America	Robert Zemeckis
1988	Best Art Direction (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Peter Howitt
1988	Best Art Direction (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Elliot Scott
1988	Best Cinematography (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Dean Cundey
1988	Best Editing (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Arthur Schmidt
1988	Best Sound (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	John Boyd
1988	Best Sound (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Don Digirolamo
1988	Best Sound (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Tony Dawe
1988	Best Sound (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Robert Knudson
1988	Best Sound Effects (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Charles L. Campbell
1988	Best Sound Effects (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Louis L. Edemann
1988	Best Visual Effects (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Richard Williams
1988	Best Visual Effects (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Edward Jones
1988	Best Visual Effects (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	George Gibbs
1988	Best Visual Effects (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Ken Ralston
1988	Special Achievement (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Richard Williams

This 1988 film, which qualifies as a masterpiece on the one hand and remarkably shallow on the other, has had its share of tinkering in the home video age, the latest of which is a couple of minor alterations for the initial DVD release. Notably, a vulgar Baby Herman gag at the beginning has been adjusted to try to remove the suggestion that Herman gooses the woman under whose skirt he walks. Try is the operative word here, because it makes absolutely no difference in effect. Curiously enough, the nervous suits at the Disney organization overall seem careless in their assessment of the level of vulgarity present in some of their movies, which makes their actions and responses inconsistent and, quite often, amusing.
The DVD edition of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is fairly basic. The new transfer is widescreen, at a 1.85:1 ratio, but is not anamorphic. The source prints for both the English and French versions are clean and free of scratches and speckles, but the transfer itself has leeched some of the contrast and subdued some of the color, leaving the film looking a lot less vibrant and glossy. The production design made fantastic use of both primary and pastel color palettes throughout, contrasting that with the beautiful colors of the Pacific Electric cars, and it's a shame to see this toned down. The image is otherwise clear and free of artifacts, with no shimmering visible in narrow or diagonal lines. Because this is not an anamorphic transfer, it is somewhat softer than it needed to be. The separate French-language print includes French main and end titles, though the opening cartoon sequence retains its English-language elements.
The audio is uninspiring, lacking in dynamic range, even though the track itself is Dolby 5.1. There are directional effects, and dialogue is clear, but there is no punch to it -- the bass is so low-key that some fiddling with EQ is needed. Again, the film does have an excellent soundtrack, but this transfer does not do it justice. The French print sounds about the same overall, but the French voice track is a horrible mess, with dreadful lip-sync. It does have the distinction, however, of having a voice actor playing Eddie Valiant, who sometimes sounds just like Bob Hoskins. For some people, this film is a must-have, meaning that this tepid release is finding purchasers. For most, however, the recommendation would be to wait and see if Buena Vista decides to do the right thing and create an upgraded and annotated edition. ~ Steven E. McDonald, All Movie Guide

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